Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Students had the opportunity to share their experience of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of an event at Mitchell Memorial Library the week before Spring Break. Moderated by Gender Studies faculty members and co-sponsored by the Center for Teaching and Learning, the panel provided an opportunity for instructors to better understand student experiences and challenges related to the pandemic. PHOTO: Robby Lozano | Public Affairs

Swing Era comes to life for Charles H. Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival
“If you don’t feel it, you’ll never know it,” American trumpeter and bandleader Louis Armstrong once said in describing the style of music known as “swing jazz.” Now, audiences at Mississippi State University have a chance to be transported back to the 1920s, 30s and early 40s to hear -- and feel -- swing jazz during the Charles H. Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival this week. With jazz music and its history at the center of this year’s event, the Sweet & Hot Quartet is bringing this foot-stomping, knee-slapping sound into McComas Hall Theater on Friday [March 25] and Saturday [March 26] at 7:30 p.m. On Friday night, the four musicians will present the concert “Rag-a-Jazz: Sweet AND Hot!!,” followed by Saturday’s “Hot Hands and Sweet Syncopation!”

Multiple MSU aircraft highlighted at Wings Over Columbus Air Show
Three airplanes from Mississippi State University’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory, as well as an unmanned aircraft system, will be displayed Saturday [March 26] and Sunday [March 27] at the Wings Over Columbus Air Show at Columbus Air Force Base. Gates open at 10 a.m., and the air show, featuring the Air Force’s Thunderbirds, begins at noon and ends at 5 p.m. on both days. The event is free and open to the public. “We’re looking forward to visiting with air show attendees and providing an opportunity for a close-up view of Raspet’s manned airplanes and our state-of-the-art unmanned aircraft systems,” said Tom Brooks, director of the Raspet flight lab. “While many know us for our unmanned aviation research, we have a long history in experimental aviation, and our manned airplanes play key roles today in our unmanned research.”

MSU researchers use AI to better evaluate lumber
A $500,000 federal grant will help Mississippi State researchers use artificial intelligence to increase the accuracy of lumber evaluation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture award funds an innovative research project in MSU’s Department of Sustainable Bioproducts that aims to improve lumber grading systems with a machine-learning model. The research will identify characteristics that human graders and current auto-grading technologies might otherwise miss -- especially characteristics which, relative to their nature and extent, impact the value of each piece of lumber. Assistant Research Professor Dercilio Junior Lopes explained the goal is to create another tool to complement current grading practices and technologies.

MSU Dining Services presents Battle of the Chefs
Battle of the Chefs will take place Tuesday [March 22] from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fresh Food Company. Four Mississippi State Dining Services chefs -- Chefs Dominic, Dwight, Greg and Kris -- will go head to head in a cooking competition battle to see who will be crowned the Ultimate Chef and receive the Bronze Skillet. Students and the community will be able to try all four dishes at different stations and vote for their favorite dish during the event. Every guest will be able to use a token to cast their vote while dining. The entry price is the regular door rate. Menu items include: Thai Basil Fried Rice with Chicken or Tofu; Beef Brisket Sandwich with Pimento Cheese & Green Tomato Jalapeno Jam, Vegetarian French Onion Soup; Chargrilled Pork Chops topped with Pepper Peach Jam, Sautéed Rainbow Chard, & Brown Rice Risotto; and Fried Bang Bang Shrimp Banh Mi Po’boy served with Pickled Vegetables, Jalapenos, & Cilantro Garnish, Seasoned House Chips.

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program underway
Mississippi State has a long association with the Fulbright Scholar Program with over 50 MSU faculty from a variety of disciplines having received Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards since 1954. MSU has also welcomed many international scholars to our campus through the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program. The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program recently opened its 2023-24 competition with over 400 awards in 130 countries featured in the Catalog of Awards, which includes teaching, researching and professional project opportunities. The MSU International Institute welcomes questions from faculty who are interested in applying. If you have questions, please email Fulbright scholar liaison Cathy Curtis at ccurtis@international.msstate.edu.

Inaugural Research Week coming up in April
Mississippi State will showcase the innovative research taking place across campus with the inaugural annual Research Week April 11-14. Sponsored by the Office of Research and Economic Development, Research Week will celebrate the MSU faculty, staff, and students advancing their fields and making an impact in Mississippi and across the globe. Research Week will foster knowledge of the wide variety of scholarly and creative activities happening on our campus and promote awareness of the many resources that support research at MSU. Units and organizations across campus are encouraged to host events in conjunction with Research Week. To submit an event or lean more information about Research Week, visit www.research.msstate.edu/initiatives/research-week.

ORED launches seed funding and internship programs to grow research success
The Office Research and Economic Development is pleased to announce the launch of two new pilot programs designed to grow research success at Mississippi State University: the Advancing Collaborative Research Program (ACR) and the Faculty Leadership Internship Program (FLIP). Consistent with ORED goals to spur interdisciplinary research and establish new partnerships within and beyond the institution, ACR is meant to encourage both internal and external collaborations; enable new teams and/or new lines of research; and advance high-potential, high-impact activities to the next level. As part of developing talent and leadership within the MSU research enterprise, ORED is piloting the FLIP -- a six-month program designed to provide faculty with an in-depth, first-hand experience that broadens and deepens understanding of how research administration operates.

Smoke-free policy enhances healthy environment
Mississippi State University is a smoke-free campus. Official policy prohibits the use of any combustible or vapor products anywhere on campus property including university buildings, university grounds, university vehicles, parking areas and sidewalks. The smoke-free campus policy is part of the university's commitment to creating a healthy environment for all members of the campus community. Use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookah or other similar devices are prohibited by this policy. The complete policy is available at www.policies.msstate.edu/policy/91301.

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New executive director leads MSU’s Longest Student Health Center on mission to provide exceptional, on-campus care
Under the leadership of a new executive director -- longtime physician Dr. Katrina Poe -- Mississippi State’s Longest Student Health Center is continuing to ensure each patient feels valued as they receive the utmost care, conveniently on campus. “The opportunity to play a vital role in the continuance of the mission of Mississippi State University and the Longest Student Health Center is extremely exciting. My vision is for MSU’s Student Health Center, Student Counseling Center, and Department of Health Promotion and Wellness to meet the everchanging physical, emotional and social needs of our students, faculty and staff,” Poe said. Board certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians, Poe joined MSU in 2018 as a staff physician before moving into the executive director role.

Gholson, Singh honored nationally for agricultural research excellence
Two Mississippi State scientists in the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station are being recognized nationally as researchers of the year. Drew Gholson, assistant professor, and coordinator of the MSU USDA-ARS National Center for Alluvial Aquifer Research, or NCAAR, and Gurbir Singh, assistant research professor, were honored as Irrigation Researcher of the Year and Corn Researcher of the Year, respectively. The 25th Annual Conservation Systems Conferences event recently was held in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Both are scientists in MSU’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and stationed at Stoneville’s Delta Research and Extension Center, known as DREC. Jeff Gore, DREC interim head, said both scientists are advancing irrigation management in meaningful ways that improve production systems and irrigation efficiency across the region and beyond.

Banerjee discusses war in Ukraine, what’s next
A Mississippi State University political scientist said Russian President Vladimir Putin took a “rational gamble” when he directed the invasion of Ukraine last month. Regardless of their views on the conflict, many observers around the world expected the war to be over by now. “It was a bad gamble,” said Vasabjit Banerjee, MSU associate professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, who explained that Putin and most of the world underestimated the fight in the Ukrainian people and their President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. With still an unknown outcome in the ongoing war, Banerjee said whether the Russians are able to claim a victory in Ukraine or not, the cost of the war will demote Russia from its status as a “great power” and change the global political dynamic.

Brain to give talk on history of Russia and Ukraine
A Mississippi State associate professor of history who specializes in Soviet/Russian history will give a lecture Tuesday [March 22], which is accessible as an in-person event -- free and open to all -- and as a simultaneous live-stream for online viewers. Stephen Brain, MSU associate professor in the Department of History, will discuss “It’s Complicated: The History of Russia and Ukraine” during a 3 p.m. program in Griffis Hall Room 401. The lecture is presented by the university’s Institute for the Humanities and will be online at the institute’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/msu.humanities.institute. Virtual attendees will be able to ask questions in the comments section below the video.